Getting Around Novara
Novara sits on the main routes between Milan and Turin, and its compact historic centre makes it an easy city to explore on foot. For anything beyond the centre, a local bus network and a trio of railway stations cover the ground, and taxis are available for direct trips. This guide covers the practical options for a visitor.
Orienting Yourself
The historic centre has an almost pentagonal shape and is mostly surrounded by the baluardi — broad, tree-lined boulevards that took the place of the ancient city walls. These avenues make a pleasant, legible ring around the old core.
Two main arteries structure the centre, following the lines of the ancient Roman street grid:
- Corso Cavour–Corso Mazzini, running north–south (the ancient cardo)
- Corso Italia–Corso Cavallotti, running east–west (the ancient decumanus)
The two cross at the so-called "Angolo delle Ore" (Corner of the Hours). If you can hold those two axes in your head, you can find your way almost anywhere in the centre.
Walking
Walking is the natural way to see Novara. The city's most important sights lie within the historic centre, the area once enclosed by the walls, and the centre is compact and largely flat. Several significant sights also lie just outside the line of the former walls, but these too are reachable on foot from the core.
Landmarks that help you keep your bearings include the Basilica of San Gaudenzio with its towering dome, visible from all the roads leading into the city, and the broad baluardi that ring the centre. The largest square, Piazza Martiri della Libertà, is dominated by the equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II and overlooked by the Castello Visconteo-Sforzesco and the Teatro Coccia.
Rail
Novara is well connected by rail and is served by three railway stations:
- Novara FS — the principal station of the Ferrovie dello Stato, Italy's national railway, handling regional, national and international trains. It faces Piazza Garibaldi.
- Novara Nord — operated by the LeNord railway, in via Leonardo da Vinci. It serves regional and high-speed trains.
- Vignale FS — a small station operated by the Ferrovie dello Stato, served by regional trains.
For a visitor, Novara FS is the station you are most likely to use. As a rough sense of scale, the city is about 40 minutes by train from Milan Central station. Note that there is no metro or tram network in Novara; rail and bus are the public transport options.
Buses and Local Public Transport
Local bus service in Novara is provided by SUN. As of July 2021, a single trip cost between €1.90 and €2.50.
Buses run along the city's main streets, including Corso Risorgimento, Corso 23 Marzo 1849, Corso Vercelli and Corso Milano, so services reach well beyond the historic core. Long-distance coach services also call at Novara; Troiolo Bus (+39 0964 381325) is one operator serving the city, and FlixBus also appears among the bus operators running routes here.
If you are arriving by car, note that Novara operates a driving ban for older vehicles: petrol (gasoline) vehicles that do not meet at least the Euro 2 standard and diesel vehicles below the Euro 3 standard are prohibited from Monday to Friday, 08:30–12:30 and 14:30–18:30. A practical workaround is to leave your car in one of the free interchange parking lots on the outskirts of the city and continue by public transport.
Taxis
Taxis are available for direct trips and for reaching places the buses do not serve conveniently. Two local operators are:
- Radio Taxi Novara Cooperative — +39 0321 691999
- Novara city taxi — +39 0321 611755
Calling ahead is the usual approach.
Getting In from the Airport
Milan Malpensa International Airport is the nearest major airport, about 35 km from Novara. From either Novara station, the historic centre is a short onward trip by bus, taxi or on foot.
Practical Summary
- On foot: the best way to cover the historic centre and the sights just outside the old walls.
- Bus: SUN local services, single trips priced around €1.90–2.50 (July 2021); useful for the outskirts and for reaching the centre from interchange car parks.
- Train: three stations — Novara FS (main, national and international), Novara Nord (LeNord, regional and high-speed) and Vignale FS (small, regional).
- Taxi: Radio Taxi Novara Cooperative and Novara city taxi; call ahead.
- From the airport: Milan Malpensa is the closest airport; connect onward by rail via the Milan network to Novara.